The U of C Fella

I worked for Cargill Meat Solutions in High River for over 4.5 years! When I think about that, I think: what the hell was I thinking?! I quit in Aug.2026! That was the problem in Cargill: The job was extremely difficult, particularly for someone like me who had never done any physical jobs in their lives and then once you got used to it, it'd be a piece of cake! My rate when I started there, if I'm not mistaken, was $12.30. I don't remember what the minimum wage was but it's easy to find out. I had some serious issues with my hands a few times and had to see a physician and physiotherapist but despite the hardship, it was mostly fun, in a silly way! The cost of living was so low on those years so someone like me who made a little more than $40K annually, lived comfortably. One of my main mistakes, amongst many others(!) was not purchasing a property and I didn't do that because I didn't want to do that job for life and had to pay the mortgage. The other reason was that I sponsored my family and I think it was 2004 that I started the process. They were later able to join me in Canada in 2012. This was a little bit of the history of my tenure(!) in that company. Many people, mostly two groups, the ones who cannot find a job anywhere else and the ones who have a good position there, retire there.

William Wallace Cargill founded the company in Iowa in 1865, two years before Canada become a coutry!

 There are many stories about Cargill days and I've told some of them but this short one is about the fella whose locker was close to me and every day that I was leaving work, I would see him. He worked the evening shift. This guy had a University of Calgary T-shirt on and wore a pair of glasses. Looked early to mid. 30th. Caucasian fella. I had a chat with him a few times and since it was a very long time ago, the only thing I remember clearly is that he was saying that he was getting old for that, meaning studying in the university and working night shifts. Many people have to do that to be able to support themselves. Of course I left the company in 2006, again, if I'm not mistaken and never thought of him but I hope he's doing okay wherever he is. Cargill was a good company to work for, in those days. If I was not careless, I either would have left earlier or worked to get to the level of supervisor or something but my attitude, which resulted in being written up and suspended, a few times, was the biggest hinder! 

(Photo: A new U of C T-shirt available on their website and of course their store. Of course the guy's T-shirt, though, was not this one. I remember it was white!)